Quad Maps: Integration of Archaeological Data in GIS

Summary

For most federal agencies using GIS has become standard practice. Hardware and software, such as mobile GPS units and ESRI products, are incorporated into archaeological work flows around the country. These are used to collect information pertaining to artifacts, sites, and surveys; however, this has not always been the case. Prior to these innovations, compasses and topographic maps were used to track this information. At the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Roswell Field Office (RFO), two hundred plus quad maps contained information regarding artifacts, sites, and surveys that had yet to be incorporated into a digital system. Using ArcMap, these quad maps were scanned, georeferenced, clipped, and incorporated as layers starting in the summer of 2012; however, this approach caused ArcMap to slow and crash often. As a means to avoid complications, the clipped georeferenced maps were made into a mosaic dataset. The dataset was updated as quad maps were scanned, georeferenced, and clipped. In the summer of 2014, all quad maps with archaeological data had been incorporated into the mosaic dataset with minimal issue. Through digitizing these maps, the BLM RFO has provided a more comprehensive view of the archaeological resources and inventories within the resource area.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage